Pinanga egregia

Pinanga (pih-NAHN-gah) egregia (egg-reh-JEE-ah)
PHILIPPINES: Luzon: Camarines Norte Prov. Labo Municipality, Barangay Tulay na Lupa approach. Mt. Labo. Logged-over dipterocarp forest. Common. Coordinates of the general area. about 700m 14 1 24.60 N; 122 47 11.22 E. Dr. Barcelona giving scale. Photo by Dr. Julie F. Barcelona
Scientific Classification
Genus: Pinanga (pih-NAHN-gah) Species: egregia (egg-reh-JEE-ah)
Synonyms
None set.
Native Continent
Asia
Morphology
Habit: Solitary Leaf type: Pinnate
Culture
Survivability index
Common names
None.

Habitat and Distribution

Philippines, Luzon (Quezon Prov.) and Polillo. In dipterocarp forest; about

PHILIPPINES: Luzon: Camarines Norte Prov. Labo Municipality, Barangay Tulay na Lupa approach. Mt. Labo. Logged-over dipterocarp forest. Common. Coordinates of the general area. about 700m 14 1 24.60 N; 122 47 11.22 E. Dr. Barcelona giving scale. Photo by Dr. Julie F. Barcelona

500 m. Endemic. (E.S. Fernando. 1994)/Palmweb.

Description

Solitary slender unarmed pleonanthic ( not monocarpic) monoecious undergrowth palm, to 2 m tall. Stem to 1.5 cm in diam.; internodes 2-4 cm long. Crownshaft elongate, cylindrical, slightly swollen, to about 20 cm long. Leaves to 7 in crown; sheath to about 12.5 cm long, yellowish or creamish-white with light green tinge, covered with brown scaly indumentum; leaf without sheath about 58-65 cm long; petiole about 13-22 x 0.5 cm, yellowish, flattened adaxially, convex abaxially, covered with indumentum as sheath; rachis angular, bifacial adaxially, obtusely rounded abaxially, covered with indumentum as sheath and petiole. Leaflets to 6 on each side of the rachis, unequal, ± sigmoidal, inequidistant, 1-9 cm apart, except those of the apical leaflet pair, long-acuminate to subfalcate, green above and with prominently elevated costae, paler underneath and generally glabrous, rarely with sparse ramentae along the costae; basal leaflets 1-4-costate, 8.5-15 x 0.7-3 cm; middle leaflets 6-7-costate, about 21-29 x 6-8 cm; apical leaflets 5-8-costate, c. 9-14 x 4-6 cm, joined to 9 cm at the base along the rachis, the apex incised to as many lobes as there are costae, the lobes to 1 cm long and further incised at their tips to 5 mm deep, resulting secondary lobes acute-acuminate. Inflorescence infrafoliar, pendulous; prophyll not known; peduncle about 1.5-3 x 0.2 -0.4 cm, flattened, glabrous, the inflorescence very rarely simple and unbranched; rachillae often 2-3, rarely 4 or more, each to 8-15 cm long, flattened, to 3 mm wide, 1.5 mm thick when dry, glabrous, drying finely striate, the subtending bract a narrow, low collar. Staminate and pistillate flowers not known. Infructescence pendulous. Fruiting perianth depressed-cupular, 2 mm high, 3 mm across, with a contracted mouth; the petals and sepals free and imbricate, subequal, glabrous; subtending bract a low, explanate, semi-annular collar to 0.5 mm high. Fruits distichous, 3-6 mm apart, pinkish, ripening red then purplish-black, broadly ovoid, about 1.6 x 0.8 cm, shortly beaked; epicarp drying striate; mesocarp thinly fibrous; seed ovoid, about 9 x 5 mm, acute at tip, caudiculate at base; endosperm ruminate; embryo basal. Eophyll bifid, to 6 cm long including petiole and sheath; leaf segments 3-4-costate, about 4 x 1.5 cm, cucullate, acuminate at tips. (E.S. Fernando. 1994)/Palmweb. Editing by edric.

Pinanga egregia is a remarkable palm for its elegant habit. It is similar to P. geonomiformis in size and in the very slender stems, but differs in its solitary habit, its often branched inflorescence, and the broadly ovoid fruits. The leafsheath is also generally yellowish or creamish-white. (E.S. Fernando. 1994)/Palmweb.

Comments and Curiosities

Conservation: This species was discovered in an area adjacent to a slash-and-burn farm. It is seriously threatened due to continuing alteration of its habitat. (E.S. Fernando. 1994)/Palmweb.